This study is an analysis of EU information and communication policies developed from 2001 to 2006 and their possible impacts on the communication strategies of two member states, namely Finland and Italy. In particular this investigation focuses on how EU directives affected the communication activities of these two member states toward their national publics. The public organizations analysed were the European Commission and its DG Communication, the Finnish and Italian representations of the European Commission and Finnish and Italian EU offices at regional and local levels. A multi-level (European versus national) and comparative (Finnish versus Italian) approach resting on public communication and public relations theories, but also including some of the theories on public diplomacy, community relations and marketing communications, was adopted. The methodologies applied were based on the triangulation of different techniques such as content and document analyses, qualitative analyses of an online survey and of face-to-face interviews, and a meta-analysis of existing public opinion surveys. The multi-method study is in five parts: a study of six EU documents on information and communication policies and their implementation in member states; an analysis of EU officers’ activities and their communication strategies at the local level; a study of different Eurobarometer surveys on citizens’ EU perceptions; an investigation of EU media relations and an examination of some EU information campaigns. The results of this research revealed a similar trend with respect to EU communication strategies both in Finland and in Italy. During the period 2001 and 2006 EU communication strategies were not sufficiently tailored to the needs of national publics and they mostly were one-way-symmetrical communications. The stated aim of EU policies on information and communication was a decentralisation of tasks and functions which was not completely delivered in terms of local involvement in communication decisions. The effects on improving citizens’ EU perceptions and on a positive EU image and trust were rather low and journalists’ opinions of the interest of the European Union in establishing mutual and beneficial media relations scored very poorly in both countries

en

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eng

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University of Jyväskylä

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Jyväskylä studies in humanities;87

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ISBN 978-951-39-2893-3

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Euroopan unioni.

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Euroopan komissio.

dc.title

Promoting the European Union : comparative analysis of EU communication strategies in Finland and in Italy